As reported by MSN, pupils face losing all qualifications if caught using artificial intelligence to cheat in coursework, with exam chiefs outlining dire consequences for such actions, including zero marks and potential cancellation of qualifications
Exam chiefs outlined the severe sanctions teenagers face if they use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate coursework which counts towards their final results.
Those caught flouting the ban could lose all of their marks for the tainted piece of work they submit – or even be stripped of one or all their qualifications.
The rapid development and booming popularity of AI tools have sparked fears the technology will undermine academic standards.
While official coursework guidance for pupils has always spelt out the consequences of cheating, it has now specifically addressed AI for the first time and listed the dire consequences of using the banned programmes.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) also warns teenagers that it deploys specialist software to detect cheating, including the illicit use of AI. Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth last year said it was down to the SQA to issue guidance.
The penalties are set out in the latest SQA coursework guidance for exams including National 5s, Highers and Advanced Highers.
It states: ‘There are several AI tools such as ChatGPT or Google Bard that can generate human-like text. The text can be incorrect or contain biased information. As the information is not reliable, you must not use or reference AI tools as sources for your coursework.
‘References to AI tools as a source will not receive any marks. You must not hand in work that is not your own. Passing off other people’s work (or work produced by AI tools) as your own is called “plagiarism” and it’s cheating.’
In a stark warning, it adds: ‘Spotting plagiarism isn’t difficult. Teachers are familiar with your work and can spot changes in your writing style and the language you use. Markers know their subject very well, so are familiar with lots of sources.
‘We use software that identifies plagiarism. This software matches copied phrases and text with the sources they’ve been taken from. The software also helps identify work produced by AI tools.
‘If an investigation finds you’ve broken any rules, there may be a penalty, which could include the following: your marks can be reduced, or you can be awarded zero marks; your qualification for that subject can be cancelled; all of your qualifications for the entire year can be cancelled.’
The latest development comes after Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth was last year accused of ‘passing the buck’ over AI when she said it was down to the SQA to issue guidance.
AI can quickly produce an essay on any given topic by inputting a few keywords and it is feared its increasing sophistication and accessibility are tempting more pupils to cheat.
Last year a survey showed most teachers believed students were using AI – while a mirror survey found most pupils believed AI had boosted their grades.
Mike Corbett, of the NASUWT teaching union, said: ‘Although AI programmes are in their infancy, making it hard to quantify the exact scale of use by students to cheat at the moment, there is increasing concern that this is happening.
‘More worryingly, members advise that identifying malpractice where AI tools are used is becoming increasingly hard.
‘NASUWT has raised concerns about AI with the SQA and Scottish Government but has received little in the way of guidance for teachers in detecting and addressing the unsanctioned use of AI tools.’
The EIS union said AI presents challenges ‘particularly when teachers have less time than ever before due to increased workload and large class sizes’.
An SQA spokesman said: ‘We have provided clear guidance to protect the credibility of qualifications.
‘We will continue to ensure our policies keep pace with rapid advances in AI capability.’
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: ‘We will continue to monitor this issue as it evolves and work with partners to respond as appropriate.’
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